Grey's Anatomy Season 9 Spoiler: A Major Cast Member Is Leaving

Things weren't looking very good for Eric Dane's character Mark Sloan when the eight season of Grey's Anatomy wrapped up. Not only did he suffer a devastating loss, and one fans of the ABC drama series will likely continue to feel when the series returns this fall, but he was also in bad shape due to the plane crash. There's an update on the status of the character, and Dane's status on the series.

From what TVLine is reporting, it looks like Dr. Mark Sloan is on his way out the door. That's the bad news. The semi-good news (relatively speaking) is that it sounds like Mark will survive. At the very least, TVLine's sources say Eric Dane is set to appear in the series' ninth season for several episodes to wrap up his story arc. That doesn't actually confirm that Marc will live (haven't see seen deceased characters wandering around the halls of Seattle Grace before?), but signs do look good. Dane, on the other hand, is leaving the show after six years playing the role of the plastic surgeon referred to as McSteamy.

It sounds like his departure is amicable on both sides, as Dane told TVLine how grateful he was to everyone at the show and ABC. And series creator Shonda Rhimes was quoted as saying that Dane "did not come to this decision lightly, but after much consideration and conversations, he and I have decided that this is the right time for his storyline to end." She went on to say that Dane will remain an important part of the show's "family."

So, while it sounds like fans will have to endure yet another loss, in the wake of Lexie's death and Teddy's departure last season, at the very least, it looks like there will be some additional closure brought to Dane's character. And once that's done, we'll be left to speculate what's on the horizon for the actor. Will he move to another TV project? Or continue on with feature work. In recent years, he appeared in a few films including Burlesque, Valentine's Day and Marley & Me.